Saturday, June 14, 2008

It is very well understood that in America we have a lot of freedom. More so than most countries. But with freedom comes great responsibility. Because we have freedoms such as freedom of speech, we have a responsibility to censor ourselves. A few days ago YazmanyAborleda, a 27 year old artist from Boston, tested how free American speech really is with a controversial exhibit in Midtown Manhattan called "The assassination of Hillary Clinton/The assassination of BarackObama". Luckily it was shut down by police before any one could view it but the photos above were salvaged before Aborleda was taken under arrest. In an interview Aborleda defended his work by saying "It's art. It's not supposed to be harmful. It's about character assassination-about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media." Aborleda's intentions may very well have been good but when I saw the pictures of the exhibit then read his lame excuse about the media I couldn't buy it. Firstly, in his exhibit there appeared to be no writing on the wall explaining his artworks provocative nature. Secondly, artwork needs to be understandable. Some times artists get so entrenched in trying to be "artistic" that comprehension gets lost. Also, even though I don't feel that the media has treated Obama fairly, I've never heard them insinuate that his daughters are nappy headed hoe's or that Black hope is audacious. The penis on the wall is not artistic at all its simply tasteless. It evokes the stereotype that black men are nothing but neanderthals with " big dicks" ready to rape and pillage any white woman in sight. "Once you go Barack", come on! I know that when I write I should be neutral but when something is as offensive as this, neutrality goes out the window.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Last night I watched a History Channel special on the movie series Indiana Jones. The purpose of the show was to separate fact from fiction as it relates to the movie. While watching the show I was introduced to origin of the word "Thug". When you think of a thug what image comes to mind? Is it a Black or Brown man? Is he iced out with diamonds and wearing baggy pants? Most people think of a thug as living in a poverty stricken urban area ( Ghetto) in the United states. The origin of the word "Thug" couldn't be farther from its present meaning. The word Thug originates from an 800 year old cult called Thuggee in India. Thuggee were known for befriending travelers and killing them with the ultimate intention of robbing them. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this cult is responsible for the death of 2 million unsuspecting travelers.

So the question arises, " How did we get from Thuggee to thug?" The Indian Cult and its practices were popularized and introduced to main stream Western Culture through books such as Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor (1839). Thuggee was also popularized by British Culture as Great Britain Ruled India from 1858 to 1947. In a way it bothers me that such a negative word like thug is largely associated with Blacks when it should be associated with Indians. How is it that we get the bad rap when they've been "thuggin" for 800 years! If we're going to play the name game then we need to call prostitutes Geisha Girls! If there are any words that you can think of that are unfairly associated with your or someone else's culture, please feel free to comment.Ya Basta,Malcolm

Blog legend

It is my hope that this blog will shed light on little known facts and fringe histories, stories, and personal narratives that can't be found in a textbook. This is really a melange of my opinions,ideas and feelings about topics I find interesting. As a writer, I always try to present the facts objectively but as my friends and classmates will tell you, my beliefs are about as subtle as a freight train. I say "Ya basta" at the end of my pieces because in Spanish it roughly translates to "enough already!" which is often how I feel about certain TV personalities, networks (cough cough FOX), and politicians that take us fifty years back in this delicate and promising Obama era. What can I say... It's always been my nature to speak the raw and uninvited truth on issues (past present and future) that others see yet are to afraid to speak on. I guess by being honest I've made myself the sacrificial lamb to conservatives and xenophobes alike. Enjoy :)